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Metro Manila, 25 provinces placed under state of calamity

The government has placed 25 provinces and Metro Manila hit by tropical storm "Ondoy" under a state of calamity, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Saturday.

WATER WORLD. Incessant rains brought by 'Ondoy' have submerged parts of Metro Manila and Rizal in flood waters. Mark Adrian

Teodoro, who chairs the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), said in a briefing that local governments in places under a state of calamity are allowed to mobilize resources needed in rescue, evacuation and relief operations.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the rains spawned by "Ondoy" in Metro Manila and nearby areas in a span of six hours on Saturday was the highest in 42 years.

Nathaniel Cruz, head of Pagasa's weather services bureau, told GMANews.TV that the rainfall volume from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday was measured at 341 millimeters, breaking the 334 mm recorded in June 1967.

Trips between Romblon Port and Sibuyan Island in Romblon province were canceled due to stormy weather.

Quick alert response teams of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Southern Luzon Command and the Health and Social Welfare Departments, police and Coast Guard were put on alert status in Southern Luzon.

'Help us'

Residents from several parts of Rizal province, adjacent to Manila, are pleading for help as flood waters brought by typhoon 'Ondoy' have exceeded six feet in some low-lying areas.

Salvador Manansala reported that several of his colleagues were trapped in their houses in Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), and some had to climb to their rooftops to escape the rising waters.